Pros:

1) Great story line
2) Great music
3) Likable characters
4) Lots of side quests
5) Memorable boss fights and temples

Cons:

1) Blocky Graphics
2) The annoying fairy, Navi
3) Saria was no help in game

One of the most important aspects of any great game is its storyline, and Ocarina of Time had one of the best story lines any Nintendo game could offer. It started out a little faster than it probably should have in the middle of Kokiri Forest, but the rest of the story line moves at a steady pace. Even the tutorial at the beginning isn't long winded, as its a "learn as you go" form of tutorial. After you finally find your sword and shield, you immediately get a chance to try out the best part of all the Zelda games, the temples.

Each temple is completely diffrent than the others, meaning suprises and and puzzles around every turn. These puzzles are always a great part of Ocarina of Time, because it's what stops the game from seeming to be a sensless sword fighting game, and seems to give it a real purpose. While you might find 1 or 2 temples not to your liking, most temples will be a welcome challenge that you'll face head on. At the end of each temple, is a boss that really fits the temple that its gaurding. For example, a fire breathing dragon gaurds the Fire Temple, deep within Death Mountain. The bosses are not as simple as you would think though. It takes more than just a few sword slashes to take them out, firt you have to figure out how to make them vulnerable to your attacks (although its pretty straight forward).

Zelda games aren't complete without side quests, and this one doesn't leave them out. While some quests seem to be a wild goose chase, others actually help you in your adventures (the errand run for the Goron Sword) and others still can be done as you travel through temples and caves. (The Skulltula search)

The final, and one of the best parts of every Zelda game, is the music that the composers work so hard and long on. Ocarina of time isn't skimpy with its music and many of the songs are so beutiful, you have to stop and just listen the first time you hear them. Even though a lot of the songs you'll play on the ocarina are only 3-6 notes long, they really set the mood for what your doing in those 3-6 short notes. The ocarina isn't hard to figure out either, you don't have to spend countless hours trying to remember which song was which or how to properly use the dumb thing, as the notes are easy to imput and every song you learn can be found in an easy to find section of your start menu.

Now, for the cons. This game didn't have many and the few cons there were didn't have too much of an affect on the game play. Easily the most notable con was the blocky graphics. You can't really consider this much of a con, though, since few games on the N64 had memorable graphics and nintendo's goal has never been good graphics, its always been good gameplay.

The only other two noticable cons are Navi, the fairy, and Saria, the friend from Kokiri Village. Both are important to the game and help the story along, but they also serve a second purpose, they work as your guides and help you when your stuck. Sadly, Navi pops up at the most inconvenient times, usually to tell you something you already knew, and playing "Saria's Song" to contact Saria is usually a waste of time, as she gives even less useful advice then Navi does.

Overall, this game is a must have for any zelda fans. With an amazing story line and great music and characters to move it along, you'll never grow tires. With the side quests you'll always find something to do and with the ability to alter the land by traveling through time using the Master Sword, the world seems twice as big as it really is, with what is available and who is doing what changing as you switch times. I would highly recommend this game to anyone who enjoyed the newer Zelda games such as Twilight Princess and even Phantom Hourglass.

Game:Mario Kart 64
System: Nintendo 64/Wii (Virtual Console)
Reviewer: DinoThrasher
Rating: 7/10

Pros:

1) Difficult and enjoyable levels
2) Computers are actually a threat
3) Awesome Items
4) Great battle arenas (this includes bomb death)

Cons:

1) Cheesy graphics
2) Difficult Drifting
3) Near impossible power slides
4) Red Shells take most direct path

Mario Kart, at first glance, appears to be just another one of those games where the company decided to take its main characters and throw them into a diffrent situation just to make money. After playing even one race of on any Mario Kart game, you find out that its just so much more.

Ok, one of the first things you'll ever notice in the games is the level selection, because racing games revolve around race courses. While some of the courses were lacking, most of them were quite a thrill. One of the better ones, Toad's Turnpike. Why, why may ask? Well, for 2 reasons. The first is that there are vehicles driving in the opposite direction the whole time, so its not as easy as staying in the middle of the road the whole time. The second reason? Those cars are much harder to dodge than you think! Sure there is a pattern, but its an N64 game, not exactly the best reaction speed. The other great level is Rainbow Road. It might be long, but even when someone falls behind you can't tell who exactly will win. The music is pretty great too. The final level that would come to mind after playing Mario Kart 64 is Yoshi Valley. This has to be one of the most annoying levels in the whole game. There are so many diffrent paths to the end of the level, even the map can't tell you whos winning and who isn't. The only way to really tell is to compare the question marks to each other as you cross the finish line each lap. What could be more fun than a level where you don't even know who your racing?

One of the most important parts of a racing game is its difficulty level. If the computers are too easy than whats the point of even playing? Thats whats so amazing about Mario Kart 64. I don't know if the controls are just that difficult to master or the computers really are good in this one, but even after hours of racing, you still find yourself trying to beat down Toad on the final stretch. Most racing games, after only about an hour of figuring out the controls, end up being way too easy and you really only beat the game so that you can say you beat it (or in the more modern games, so that you can prepare for Wi-Fi).

Another great thing about Mario Kart 64 is how great the item selection is. There may not be any super specials that only certain characters can get, but the triple shells floating "around" the car instead of being fired off one by one allows for quicker shooting and (on the odd occasion) BUMPER CARS! The blue shells (or first player shells as I like to call them), while don't explode on impact, "hover" down the middle of the track like every other shell and therefore gives you a chance to hit the occasional computer driving perfectly down the middle of the path. Of course, the fake item boxes are the best in any Mario Kart game. In the later ones, they made them look TOO fake, so they weren't even an obstacle. In Mario Kart 64, when placed right you can't always tell which boxes are real and which boxes are fake.

The final pro would be the battle arenas. While every Mario Kart has them, I found the arenas in this one to be the most enjoyable. Block fortress was easily the best battle arena ever created for Mario Kart, atleast everyone I know thinks so. Even skyscraper was great. While most people found it to be annoying, I thought it added more challenge than many of the other arenas did. Then, to top them off, you became a blinking yellow bomb when you died. Even after death you found yourself veering around corners just to catch that one guy. I don't know why, but there is something exhilarating about kamikaze bomb driving.

Now, for the cons. All hardcore Nintendo fans can basically skip this paragraph since you all know graphics don't matter in Nintendo games. Ok, for those of you out there who do care, here it is. The graphics really weren't that great. They were cheesy and blocky and incredibly unrealistic. The drivers looked horrible in their cars as the two looked like they were one entity. Thats basically the graphics for you.

(Am I the only one that saw faces on the back of the go-carts? The smoke pipes looked like eyes!)

Ok, everyone who has ever played any racing game will know that drifting and power sliding are two of the most important aspects of the game. They can save you valuable seconds and may even cost you the race if done wrong. The only problem with Mario Kart 64, both of these are near impossible feats. You can't tell when your drifting until you get the speed boost and sometimes its just better to shoot them with a shell and get on with your life if you can't tell what your doing. And the powerslides, truly impossible to master. Don't even attempt getting a speed boost off of one on your first try, chances are you won't make the cornor on your first try. Once you master both of these, its not so bad, but mastering them is incredibly difficult, so start practicing.

Like I said before, the items in this game are a joy to use (seriously, not sarcastically). Of course, there is one item that will probably give you trouble, and thats the all powerful red shells. You probably wouldn't believe it, but they are actually the hardest item to hit with. This is because the red shells go right for the person next in place. The don't follow the road though, they go straight through the wall. If you can't see your opponent than chances are you won't hit them.

Overall, this game should probably be near the top of your virtual console "must have" list. Of course, if you don't think you can handle the choppy controls or can't stand even thinking about racing games, you might want to avoid this one. Anyone who is a true Mario fan, buy it, you won't be disappointed.

Game: Super Mario 64
System: Nintendo 64/Nintendo DS (remake)/Wii (Virtual Console)
Reviewer: DinoThrasher
Rating: 8/10

Pros:

1) Lots of starts to collect
2) You aren't required to collect every star
3) Suprise roof encounter
4) Great and Imaginative levels
5) Toads are actually useful
6) Not Linear, have some free will
7) Secret Castle Stars

Cons:

1) Not much of a story line
2) Your average N64 blocky graphics
3) Bowser battles are repetitive
4) Small levels

Super Mario 64 is your basic Mario 3D game. You go around a given location collecting stars so that you can defeat the "dreaded" Bowser and save the Princess Peach. Sounds pretty simple right? WRONG! There is so much more to this game than simply running around a castle searching for stars.

As you probably know, the main idea of the game is collect "power stars" to restore the castle and reach the top of the tower (conveniently the tallest) where Bowser is keeping Peach hostage. It is an N64 for game, so you figure 50 or 60 starts you have to collect. What's amazing about this game, is how totally off a prediction like that is. They somehow found a way to cram 120 starts into the game (more on the DS) and hide them in places around the castles "paintings". I find this to be incredible because its the exact same amount of stars that can be found in Nintendo's latest Mario game, "Super Mario Galaxy".

Now, 120 stars seems like a lot to go around collecting in a castle much to large for one princess and her Toads. Luckily, they only require 70 of said stars to beat the game. This lets you pick and choose which stars you enjoy most and go for them, letting the more difficult stars gather dust in the corner. Of course you'll probably find yourself having to choose the lesser of two evils when it comes to collecting a star, but thats what happens in adventure games that involve collecting random junk so hopefully it doesn't ruin the whole game experience for you.

Now, lets say your a truly daring player and decided stopping at 70 just doesn't cut it, I'm going for all 120! First of all, good luck. Not all of the stars are a walk in the park and some are more luck than skill. Now, lets say you do finally get around to collecting every single one of the 120 stars hidden in the game, now what? Well, Nintendo decided to throw in a little suprise for everyone our there who actually goes the "extra mile". When you start the game you'll quickly notice the cannon by the lake out front. Of course, its locked when you start the game. Collect those 120 stars and now that cannon opens. Shoot yourself up to the roof and find... I'm not going to tell, go buy the game and find out for yourself!

The stars aren't just hidden in the castle, that would be too easy (not to mention boring!). Each level is actually an overly sized painting that you jump into. Why there are so many and why they are all behind locked doors is beyond me, but I do know what the levels inside the paintings are like. While there isn't much you can do with the N64's graphics, the levels still find a way to be interesting and eye catching. Because the levels are paintings, you don't know what to expect. From a land where you have to walk around either too small or too big, to a level in the clouds. You never know what to expect and often have to spend a few minutes just exploring the level before you actually begin to search for the star. The stars are also pretty creative too. While some stars are repetitive (such as the red coin star), many of them use the level they are hidden in to the most extent possible. If you think an area of a level is strange because you havn't seem to ever being heading in that direction, chances are the next star you go for will be somewhere over in the unknown.

In most Mario games, the Toads just seem to be the comic relief between scenes and really play no part in the story, as they have no skills of their own whatsoever. In SM64, while they still don't play a major part in the story line, they do come in handy. Some of the Toads you find standing in cornors will actually give you a power star when you talk to them, forcing you to talk to every toad you come in contact with. Thankfully, the ones that don't have power stars arn't long winded and the games text boxes don't type each individual letter one at a time, you can usually skip a dialog in seconds.

The problem with many of the newer games that are out is that they are way too linear. There is no real confusion as to where you need to go next and then when you do get stuck, there are hundreds of random dudes standing by to tell you when and where you should go. In Super Mario 64, you have a bit more freewill when it comes to finding your way around. If, after you get enough stars, you find that you don't like a level and want to move on, feel free to do as you please. If you are not going for every single star in the game, you may even be lucky enough to never have to go near the level again. Pretty awsome for those people who always have trouble with that one star. Once your in the levels, its free game. There is no set path, the whole level is there and you have to use common sense to figure out where they would have hidden the star. Its not really that hard, but its kinda nice being able to control where you go.

Think all of those 120 stars are out in the open where you can find them? WRONG AGAIN! Some of the stars are cleverly hidden in speacial areas of the castle that are either difficult to find, or difficult to complete. These are called the castles' secret stars. There aren't very many of them and once you catch on to the pattern you can usually figure out where they all are, but they are still an interesting change in simply jumping between levels and trying to find the stars that you feel like you already got in the last level (for example, the red coins). Don't worry though, some are so ovious, you would literally have to be blind to miss them, so you won't find yourself in anguish when you can't seem to figure out the castle's secrets.

Now for the cons. While there are plenty of levels and stars to collect and explore, there really isn't much of a storyline that gives this adventure purpose. Other than saving the princess, you really dont have any drive to find them all. The game starts up as soon as you pick a file and the ending is just you walking into the castle with peach, nothing speacial or fancy.

Once again I feel I should address this, even though most of you will feel its a total waste of time. The N64 has terrifying graphics, Mario has orbs for hands and his nose is a polygon. The goombas are upside down bowls with feet. Chain chomps and bomb-ombs may be the only thing in the game that are a truly round shape.

Something noticable about the Zelda games and many other popular games is that the bosses change every level and always have a new challenge. Not in SM64. Sure the level has some slight changes, but really its the same concept of grabbing his tail and throwing him into a spike bomb surrounding the field. The last battle is pretty difficult, but the other two are "get in and get out" battles, not even worth the effort.

Finally, the levels that are so wonderfully made, are small. While some are bigger with fortresses you can go inside, its mostly a small, confined area where they stuffed 6 stars and than programed them so that you can only get certain ones depending on what you picked. Even with the ability to explore the level as you want, it does get old a little fast on some of them.

Overall, I loved this game. It was my first game ever on the N64 and I still think of it as one of my favorites. It may not have the complex storyline or graphics that most games have today, but it has great gameplay and many of the older games seem to have a higher difficulty level. Any true Mario fan is going to want to check this game out and fast!

Game: Majora's Mask
System: Nintendo 64
Reviewer: DinoThrasher
Rating: 7/10

Pros:

1) Great Mask Idea
2) Plenty of side quests
3) Awesome Bosses
4) Non-Linear
5) Interesting story line
6) Interesting Time Concept

Cons:

1) Difficult at first
2) Too time oriented
3) Difficult Final Boss
4) Limited Transformations

Majora's Mask is the sequel to the popular best seller "The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time" and it starts up right where Ocarina left off. While there really weren't any loose ends at the end of "Ocarina of Time", it did leave you wondering what happened to the Hero of Time now that Hyrule has been saved? Basically, our young hero takes epona, the wonderful horse from Lon Lon Ranch, and rides off, never to be see again. Of course, he doesn't make it very far. While riding through a forest, he's ambushed and cursed by the dreaded Skull Kid and his two fairies. After being transformed into a Deku Scrub, our young hero's latest adventure begins.

The most important part of the entire Majora's Mask game is oviously the masks the game is named after. There are a total of 20 of these amazing decorations through out the game and its going to be tough to collect them all. There is even a special 21st mask you can get, but I'll leave it up to you to figure that one out. These masks give you different powers and abilities to help you through out your quest through this new world you've found yourself in. When you first start out, you don't have any of these amazing masks and your abilites are quite limited. Once you get these masks, though, it becomes a great help. The Zora mask, for example, is great for getting through water, which was always a nuisance in Ocarina. The masks don't just seem to come out of nowhere either. Each mask has an interesting story behind them that explains the origin of each mask and leaves you hanging as the game progresses. Some of the masks don't have powers as awesome as turning you into a Zora, but your always going to want to know more as the story behind each of the masks unfolds.

Because of all these different masks to collect, there are plenty of side quests to keep you occupied. Because of the crazy stories behind each mask, you won't find yourself dozing off while waiting for the right time of day to continue the quest. Often times you'll find yourself eagerly awaiting the next day in the game, just so you can find out what happens next in the story of the mask your currently working on. Some of the masks won't be easy to find or get, but each one will provide a new challenge that will leave you sitting at the edge of your seat.

What Zelda game would be complete without boss encounters. "Majora's Mask" doesn't have nearly as many boss encounters as some of the other Zelda games do,since there are only 4 temples with bosses plus the final boss, but each boss is memorable and a whole lot of fun to fight. Each boss is unique as well. The boss in the stone tower, for example, takes place in a circular arena. The boss spends the entire boss battle spinning around this circle and its your job to stop him and take him down. Of course, they aren't nearly as much fun as the Ocarina of Time bosses, but they won't be totally boring to fight.

Any great video game usually finds a way to have an amazing story line, while still staying non-linear. While Majora's Mask has you going to each temple in a special order, there are so many side quests that you can really pick and choose where you want to go next. If you don't feel like heading over to the next temple out in the middle of the ocean, try running around town and seeing if there is anyone who needs your help. There is a good chance you'll get a useful mask out of it.

Every great Zelda game has an even greater storyline that drives it. Majora's Mask is no exception. While its storyline is a little peculiar and much more sudden than any of the other storylines, that your slowly eased into, its will still leaving you wondering what is coming next and what is really going on in this amazing town. Its also hard to believe that the entire story line revolves around one mask, Majora's Mask. There really isn't much to it, but nintendo found a way to make an entire game off of one decoration. Even the side quest masks can often find a way to become part of the storyline, although they usually have very minimal affects on whats going on.

The most interesting part of the entire game, though, is the three day timer. When you make it to clock town, skull kid is trying to bring the giant, evil moon down on the town. How long will it take to hit? Three days. Thats right, a short, measly three days. In these three days, you have to somehow find all the masks, beat all the temples, and defeat the dreaded skull kid? Thankfully, that isn't the case. You have a song that can take you back in time to the beginning of the three days, so you can redo the entire thing all over again. While many thinks revert back to normal, the more important things such as the temple's bosses and side quests stay defeated and accomplished. This time thing can cause some trouble though.

Time is not on your side in Majora's Mask. Even with the ability to go back in time how ever many times you want, it becomes difficult to make things on time and keep track of everything. If you accedently miss your appointment with destiny, than your going to have to start everything all over again and try for it a second time. This can become quite a nuisance after the third time trying to get one mask. Its bad enough when you have to keep trying to do one thing over and over again, but when you have to wait an hour each time you want to try again, it really starts to get on your nerves. Time is also pretty annoying when you first start. You can't seem to find where exactly you need to go or when. When is a very important part of this game, and if you aren't sure where you need to go, chances are you won't get there when you need to go.

Time is way too much of an aspect in this game. Everything revolves around the order of events and the times of day. It gets annoying after awhile, playing the same time reverse song over and over and over and over yet again. Each time you want to start something new, you have to start the entire three days over. Keeping one eye on the clock becomes too much of a necessity and instead of being interested, tends to be more on the annoying side. Some people may find this idea of time and order of events to be interesting, but I thought it was a bit overkill.

The final boss is usually the one that leaves the biggest impression on your mind, as it usually ties together the story and has the most climatic battle. The problem with Majora's Mask, the final boss was almost impossible. Some people may be able to pull it off, but most people will have to unlock the secret mask in order to win. The problem with that, though, is the super mask makes the boss TOO easy and ruins the final battle to the opposite extreme. You may want to beat the final boss with the ultimate mask, and then go back and attempt to beat it with nothing but your sword.

Finally, the transformations that the game is so well known for, are limited to only a whopping total of three. For a game with a storyline based off of masks and mask usage, you would think Nintendo would have thrown a few more masks into the game to liven things up a bit. But no, there are only three transforming masks for you to collect through the game. On the bright side, these masks are a lot of fun to use and sometimes more fun than just walking around as normal link.

Overall, I thought this was a decent game. I didn't think it was amazing, like "Ocarina of Time", but once I got use to the whole time travel thing, it was pretty enjoyable. The mask transformations make for interesting gameplay and the time thing, while sometimes annoying, was actually pretty creative on Nintendo's part. While I wouldn't put this as a "must buy" game of the year, anyone who has played Ocarina of Time may want to check this game out.

Game: Super Smash Bros. Melee
System: Gamecube
Reviewer: DinoThrasher
Rating: 6/10

Pros:

1) Large fighting Roster
2) Large level selection
3) Amazing array of items
4) Large variety of characters
5) Pulls together almost every Nintendo game
6) Added Story Mode
7) Special Matches
8) Event Matches
9) Break the targets mode
10) Trophy Case
11) Sandbag

Cons:

1) Computers are too easy
2) Some characters difficult to unlock
3) Obsolete

Super Smash Bros., a name that any normal Nintendo fan would know and love. This series first made its debut with "Super Smash Brothers" for the Nintendo 64, and from than on it became one of the most well known series Nintendo has ever created. "Super Smash Bros. Melee" is the second installment in this ever growing franchise that Nintendo has made crazy amounts of money off of, I'm sure. Melee was a huge step up from the first game, and is one of the few games that has actually gotten better with a sequel.

There are so many pros to this game, where should I start? Lets start with the first thing you'll see when you start up the come, the character roster. This starting roster alone is bigger than the previous game, so there isn't any reason to complain about it. Almost every Nintendo game you can think of, and even some I'm sure you can't, appear on this roster. Because just about every game known to Nintendo fans is here, you can't possible complain you don't like any of the characters. Legend of Zelda is here, Super Mario is on here, even Ice Climbers, which only had one game for the NES, appears in this amazing game. By the time you unlock every single character, you'll be amazed by how many choices you have. Even after months of playing, you'll still find yourself unable to choose who you want to fight as. This selection screen is also incredibly easy to use. Everybody picks at the same time, which means you don't have to wait 15 minutes to play just because you have to pick one after another.

Once you pick your favorite Nintendo heroes (and maybe even villains), you'll end up on the level selection screen. You probably thought that after that amazing character selection screen, it couldn't get any better. Well, once you see the level selection screen, you'll find that you were completely wrong. Just like the roster, the level selection has probably tripled since the first game. You'll be completely amazed at what levels appear here, while some you'll be glad to see have returned. The best part of all, this is only half of the levels available to you in this game. Once you start to unlock stuff, this menu will start to grow at an astonishing rate that will completely blow your mind. Since no fighting game is complete without arenas for you to show off your mad fighting skills, this is definitely an up.

The items have gotten so much better too. In the first Super Smash, the green and red shells look like a bunch of pixels just thrown to gather in a rush and extremely poor quality. Now the shells are actually 3D and look like real shells that weren't ripped from the very first Mario game. The item selection has also increased. This means the battles are even better than ever, as the chances of you getting what you need have dramatically decreased. This isn't necassarily a bad thing, as you are probobly going to find some other item you can use to completely destroy your opponent. The items have changed a bit too. The poke balls, for example, are almost completely new territory. With the new Pokemon being released and developed by Nintendo, the poke balls had to have a little update to be more with the times. This isn't a bad thing either. Some of the Pokemon have very useful abilities that were never even considered in the old game, meaning your going to want to grab those poke balls as they appear.

Everybody who has ever played the first Super Smash Bros. remembers Classic Mode. You fought your way through enemies one on one, with occasional twists, as you slowly made your way to the final encounter, Master Hand. Well, Nintendo has spiced things up a bit in this sequel. Now, instead of just Classic Mode, there is something called Adventure Mode. Some of you may be thinking that its juts going to be like classic mode, just a new name and a few changed. Well, your wrong. Adventure mode is almost nothing like the Classic Mode. Adventure mode takes you through levels made only for this mode and makes it appear as if your actually following a "story". This story isn't very well made, but its a lot more interesting than Classic Mode, thats for sure. At the end of Adventure Mode, bowser awaits you atop "Final Destination" (which is obtainable). Bowser might not be anything special compared to Master Hand, but maybe, if you beat the mode fast enough on Medium difficulty, something special will happen...

Tired of playing a normal battle with plain old boring rules? Well, its time to switch things up! Melee comes with a set of "special matches" that will completely change the rules of the game and allow for a match unlike any you have ever fought. Battles too slow, time to speed things up with a lightning melee! Maybe you want a survival match as opposed to a match where your damage meter racks up. Lets turn on stamina mode and see how well you can fight with a set HP of 150. Everyone is sure to find something to their liking in this amazing list of special matches. Since nothing like this appeared in the old game, your going to want to take spend some time figuring out each of these modes.

Still feeling like the rules aren't interesting enough? Feel like there isn't any purpose in these senseless battles? Nintendo has decided to add something called "Event Matches" into the game. These matches are different than normal matches in the fact that they have some purpose. They also have unusual rules that can't be found in any normal versus match. Some matches pit you against near impossible foes with a crazy low time limit. Others have you fighting with nothing but warp stars. Some of these events get pretty out there, like beating captain falcon in under 7 seconds. It isn't easy, but its a whole lot of fun to do! There are 30 of these event matches total, or are there? Had Nintendo added yet another surprise to an already amazing game?

Break the targets was one of the more interesting aspects of Smash Brothers. Well, its back, and with a vengeance. Each character now has a new target layout that they have to try and break within a given amount of time. Its not as simple as one, two three, though. Each level is specially made for each characters skills and abilities. Your going to have to understand all of their move sets to get through this. And of course, there is nothing more rewarding than breaking targets set up in the most unusual and totally random places across levels that don't seem to have any real connection with the characters.

Finally, Nintendo has added a small reward system into the game, so that even after you get all of the characters and levels, there is still something to aim for. Nintendo has properly named them trophies. These trophies have all sorts of ways to be unlocked. Some are so easy you'll get them without even knowing what you did. Others, on the other hand, you may never even realize exist until you look it up online or accidentally stumble across it one day while playing. The trophies also serve as great reminders to games long since thrown in the discard pile, as some of Nintendo's lesser known moments find their way into this vast collection.

Is that enough for you yet? Well, just in case you didn't think so, Nintendo decided to add one more mode, Sandbag. There isn't much to sandbag other than, well, sand. Basically, you select a character from the character selection screen, your put in front of a sandbag, and then you have 10 seconds to beat the heck out of it and use the near by home-run bat to send it flying hundreds and sometimes thousands of meters across the field. Even though it isn't much, its an interesting improvement and gives you something to do when your tired of beating on the computers.

Phew, finally done with the pros. Time for me to point out the few cons I could find in this game. For starters, the computers are so easy, its almost not worth playing without a friend. At first you'll find the level 9 difficulty to be, well, difficult. But once you figure out the computers fighting style, they become so predictable you can beat them without even a scratch. And face it, you can only enjoy beating computers senseless for so long. After awhile you get tired of it. If Nintendo had maybe added 2 or 3 more difficulty levels, it would be perfect. But since 9 is all there is, 9 is all there shall be.

The only other con I could find was the difficulty of unlocking characters. Some characters are so hard to unlock that it either takes hours to do or hours to figure out. One character actually requires a set number of hours of versus mode gameplay. Who wants to spend hours playing versus mode just to unlock one character? Sure there are some, but most people don't have the time or patience. If your lucky, you'll find some of these characters in no time. I, personally, recommend just looking it up online. You bought the game to fight, not spend hours trying to unlock characters, right?

Overall this is a great game. Why give it a 6/10? Simple, the poor thing is completely obsolete. With the release of the third game, Brawl, there is really no reason to buy this unless you want to try out the levels and characters not appearing in Brawl. I still reccomend this game, but not if you own a Wii and have any common sense.

Game: Super Smash Brothers Brawl
System: Wii
Reviewer: DinoThrasher
Rating: 10/10  

Pros:  

1) Wifi Compatible
2) Custom Stages
3) Great Battle Stages
4) Great Music
5) Music Selection
6) Great Character Selection
7) Special Brawl
8) Subspace Emissary
9) Boss Endurance
10) Graphics
11) Home-Run Contest
12) Easy to Unlock Characters and Stages
13) Unlock Screen
14) Snapshots in game
15) No Over-hype
16) Melee stages come back
17) Much more Co-Op play
18) New Arsenal of Items
19) Final Smash  

Cons: (yes, they exist)  

1) Characters removed from game
2) No online custom stages
3) No non-friend communication
4) Unpersonalized target smash levels  

This series is easily the best idea Nintendo has ever had. Taking almost every single one of their most famous characters, forcing them into one game, than have an all out free-for-all to see who's best, what could you not like about it! Of course, with a series like this, why stop at one or two? With Nintendo's release of Brawl, there are now three incredible games in this series and I must say, they just keep getting better and better! This is actually a pretty incredible feat, as most people find that the first game they play in a series is their favorite and can't get into the later games. Not with this series though, you'll go crazy after only two hours of game play and I can almost promise you won't be able to stay off of the game for the next week. Even when the initial hype begins to die down after a week, you still find yourself drawn back into the game, with an unhealthy desire for just "one more match". Get ready for a long review, because this game has everything!  

Ok, easily one of the most notable additions to the Super Smash Series is the ability to go Wi-Fi with all your friends and other random strangers. This is also one of the best parts of Brawl. The previous games grew boring after you beat everything and the only excitement you got out of playing was with your friends. Luckily, Brawl doesn't have that problem. With Wi-fi compatibility, Brawl's fun never stops and can be appreciated any time, just about any place (assuming you bring your Wii and a Wi-Fi compatible router with you). You can hook up with friends over AIM at anytime and suddenly have an urge to Brawl, which you can now enjoy. Who wouldn't enjoy such convenience. Bored of your friends? (Admit it, you are sometimes) Well, now you can play with anybody anywhere around the world, giving you a fresh battle every time.

Tired of the stages that Nintendo gave you (unlikely), no problem!& Nintendo decided to put in a nice little custom stage builder! (applause) This little toy can easily entertain you for hours if your like me and enjoy using custom tools that game creators put into their games. Not only will it give you something to do when your Internet won't cooperate or your tired of pounding weaklings into the ground, but it will add some spice to your own Brawls as anything you can imagine can (almost) be done. You don't start out with every single piece of custom material, but you'll be able to unlock tons more after around 20 built and played on custom stages, so build build build!  

Don't worry if your no good at building custom stages or you can't seem to enjoy anything you make, Nintendo has really outdone themselves with their levels and you probably won't find yourself playing the Melee levels anytime soon. Most of the levels change constantly throughout the match, so you'll always have something happening that you didn't expect, sometimes for the better and sometimes for the worst. Either way, it makes each level exciting and unique each time you play it. Its almost like having up to 3 levels in one. For the stages that don't change drastically throughout the match, they decided to kill you with the eye popping background that will leave you so stunned, you'll probably forget your in the middle of a battle. Some of the levels aren't quite as breathtaking, but you'll still be amazed by them. Especially since some of them will be a blast from the past! I won't say what levels exactly, but a few are guaranteed to to jog a few memories from "back in the good old days".  

To go along with the incredible stages and background on each level, the music finishes up the amazing trio of awesomeness that can be found in each level with unrealistic song remakes and a few untouched classics. Most people will easily pick up on which songs are which simply by ear, while others will leaving you guessing. Don't worry though, even if you don't find yourself remembering every single song, you'll probably find most of them to be to your liking and incredibly enjoyable to listen to. Whats an all out free-for-all without music to go with it?  

Better yet, there is an abundant supply of music jam packed into this game. Each level can have up to five or six different song choices that show up randomly, depending on how you set them up. Just go into options and my music, and you can decided which songs you'll never hear, which songs you want to hear all the time, and which songs you want to surprise you occasionally. I wouldn't recommend selecting just one song for each level, though, you'll want a variety as each song sets a different mood and, while has no real effect on your fighting, makes the levels unique each time you play on them.  

One of the most important parts of any fighting game is, of course, the fighters themselves. The new selection of characters are just as impressive as the last bunch, with new additions such as Sonic, Snake, and Lucario, you can't possibly be disappointed.  All of the original fighters from the first game are back of course, such as Mario, Luigi, and Ness, but where is the fun in playing with characters you've been fiddling with for the last few years? Each new character has a new unique fighting style special to each of them, although you might find some similarities between characters from the same game, you won't get the same experience from both characters. They range from slow and strong, to crazy fast with numerous attacks. Whatever your preference, your bound to find somebody in this new selection that you like and can use effectively use. Good thing too, you'll need it on Wi-Fi.  

Special Brawls were first introduced in Melee with categories such as Stamina, Camera, and Lightning Melee. Ever want to try all three at the same time? Well, now you can. Nintendo has set up a special version of these interesting brawls where you can now play with either one of these effects, or all of them at the same time. Low gravity with bunny hoods can make an interesting game of leap frog during your match while an invisible battle with flowers would be more like "Night of the Living Daisies".  While there are only about ten categories to mix and match and only two options per category, its definitely an improvement from melee and is sure to spice up any match, especially when there's flaming curry involved.  

Everyone one who played Melee will remember the adventure mode Nintendo decided to add to go along with the already enjoyable Classic mode. How many people actually remember the story line from adventure mode? Trick question, there wasn't one. They just pasted a bunch of levels together in a random order and through some 2 second cut scenes in. Well, adventure mode just got a good ten hour upgrade. What once took you 5 minutes, now takes you 5 days. The storyline, while still a bit far fetched, actually flows nicely and finds a way to incorporate all but about three characters into the story. The cutscenes are amazing to watch, as the graphics (mentioned later) are incredible. Luckily, Nintendo threw in a couple gag cut scenes that move the story along a little, but usually make you laugh more than they do make you understand the story. These scenes appear all the way up to the final boss, so you never know what to expect. They even threw in a suprise final boss. Who is it? Maybe you should play it for yourself and see what Nintendo thought of this time.  

Anybody who has played "Kirby: Nightmare in Dreamland" knows exactly what a boss endurance is. Pain and suffering. Nintendo has decided to throw one into Brawl as well, allowing you to revisit ever single boss you encounter through Subspace Emissary. Its not quite an "endurance" though, as they give you heart containers between bosses like they do in All-Star mode, but its still a lot of fun to attempt to take down all the bosses in one insane barrage. The order of bosses aren't always the same, although some of the major bosses are given special spots, most of the time you won't know who your fighting, so be ready to fight anyone or anything.  

In all of my other reviews on this site, you'll notice that I put graphics under a con. I'm glad to say Nintendo finally got something right in the visual department, and you won't have to listen to all your friends with Playstations brag about the incredible graphics they have. Nintendo isn't too amazing in the graphics department, so its great to see that they are finally catching up with the rest of the gaming systems out there. I'm not kidding people, the graphics are outstanding. You can clearly see the fur on DK, Diddy, and Lucario (although not exactly in the middle of a fight) and the backgrounds, as I said before, are breathtaking. Its time to brag to all your Playstation buddies about how amazing your Wii's graphics are.  

Home-Run contest was another great addition to melee. Nintendo, once again, felt the need to spice things up a bit and see just how perfect they could make it. And, once again, you won't be disappointed. I'm sure everybody remembers hitting the sandbag either the wrong way off of the platform or accidentally slipping it off of the starting platform. Thankfully, Nintendo put up a barrier around said platform so that sandbag doesn't go flying while you try to rack up damage. This doesn't mean you can quite go all out, too powerful a hit can smash the force field, but it sure makes pounding sandbag with weaker moves a lot easier. Beating up sandbag was never so easy or fun!  

(Congrats! Your now halfway through this review! Its a long one, but stay with me people!)  

Some people might look at this as a con, but I think of it as a pro. Many of the characters can be unlocked within the first week of game play through Subspace Emissary! Just have the character join up in your party during the story, and you can then use them in normal brawls outside of the Emissary. I look at this as a pro because I would rather have everyone and get fight time in than have to spend a week trying to figure out how to unlock everyone. Isn't the point of Super Smash Bros. Brawl to, um..., brawl? I think it is, why else would they title it Brawl. Stages are pretty easy too. They aren't as straight forward as the characters but if you look them up online, it might take you only a few hours to unlock all the stages. Let the battle begin!  

This goes along with my previous pro. The unlockables screen. I hated having to figure out how to unlock all of the stages and music and crap. Thankfully, I don't have to anymore! This unlock screen helps you keep track of your progress, and gives you useful hints as you how to unlock different stages, trophies, and music. Some of this stuff isn't easy to unlock, but thats why you have (drum roll....) THE GOLDEN HAMMERS! What are these magic hammers, you ask? Well, there are a couple of these items scattered across the board and every time you open up a box containing a hammer, you can later use that hammer to open up another box that you just don't have the patience to open yourself. You can only use each one once, but hopefully you don't have to many you need to open with a hammer.  

This is a minor change from Melee, but a pretty noticeable one. One of the hardest parts of Melee was taking pictures. You had to go into a special mode and use another controller. By the time you were set up for the picture, the "Kodak Moment" was gone. If only there was an easier way. Well, now there is. You can now take pictures with any controller, at any time, any place! Just press start on your controller and hit the "Z" button, and instant photo. While this really has no major effects on game play, I'm sure there are people out there who are relieved that photo taking is no longer a chore, but a fun way to remember that embarrassing moment when your characters ended up in some awkward position together.  

Many games have been killed by over-hype. Thankfully, this isn't the case here. This game has just so much to offer, there was no possible way to over-hype it! When you first buy the game, you'll probably get a feeling of "Pinch me, I'm dreaming" because the game is practically legendary by that point. Thankfully, once you put the game into your Wii, the feeling doesn't go away**. In some cases, it may get worse! This game may have had just the right does of hype, as it hypes it enough to make the game a total sellout but not so much as to totally destroy the game.    

         **Note: Make sure to get a decent amount of play before school the next day. Trust me, you won't be able to focus if you only fit in two hours of play the night before, when you first buy it. Also make sure to avoid Brawl fanatics, as you'll just lose focus. DANGER! YOU MAY BECOME ADDICTED!  

It's a blast from the past! Have some favorite Melee stages you want to try your new super fighter out on? Lucky you, Nintendo has pulled some of the previous games better levels and added them onto the already amazing selection of levels found in brawl. There aren't very many levels that made it, but your bound to find one that you remember enjoying from the previous installment. None of the original levels from the first game made the cut, though, so don't expect to get one more battle in at Yoshi Story.  

Many of the modes in Melee were only one player and friends couldn't join in the fun. Nintendo has fixed that problem just like all the rest. Except for classic mode and a few other modes, almost everything in Brawl can be played Co-Op with a buddy. This is great because it means no more sharing! You can both play at the same time without hassle. In some cases, this actually makes the game easier and quicker, such as the boss endurance mode I mentioned earlier. Don't go through it all in Co-Op mode, your going to want to go it alone occasionally, because it just isn't the same sometimes when you have a buddy saving you from every little screw up.  

Items can be either Brawlers best friend, or Brawlers worst nightmare. Whatever your feelings towards them, they are back and once again have been revamped. Many items from the previous game are gone, although some still continue on, even from the first game. Many new items have been added and they are sure to affect your entire game. Motion Sensors have a new look, so make sure to keep an eye on your feet. Some of the newer items are very unique and greatly effect the match. The franklin badge, for example, can throw off those players that rely on long distance ranged moves and can even save you from stray items that go flying across the field. Its also a lot of fun when someone forgets your wearing it and throws a Bomb-omb at you. This is just one of the new items, so be ready for a whole new arsenal of weapons at your disposal that will help you turn the tide of the match at the last second, when needed.  

Finally, one of the most important parts of the entire game, the FINAL SMASH. This item is possibly the strongest in the game and can easily turn the tide of battle when you least expect it. Even when the item has yet to truly enter play, it messes with your head. You can't help but go for it when its floating randomly around the level. This alone can effect your game play as people's stray attacks throw you across the field in an attempt to get this marvelous item. Once you get it, its totally worth it though. Almost every character can easily pull off at least one KO with this baby. Sadly, some of the characters have specials that can either easily be avoided or do minimal damage to everyone over a definite KO. All the same, you won't be disappointed with these things. You never know when they will show up....  

This review long enough for you? Its finally time to check out the few cons this game has. There aren't very many, and they won't ruin the game experience, but I'm sad to say no game is perfect. Even something as amazing as Brawl has its downsides.  

Some people will find that their favorite characters will have been removed from the game. Wheres Dr. Mario, Mewtwo, Pichu? I'm sad to say they didn't make the cut this time around. All three have been removed from your selection of pokemon and probably won't ever been seen again. This won't affect to many people, but I'm sorry to those of you out there who have now lost their favorite brawler. You'll easily find someone to replace him, but it wont' quite be the same, now will it.   Remember those amazing custom stages you made? You can't play them with friends. Ok, so maybe you can, but they better live next-door, because they sure aren't playing them online. Depressing, I know, but Nintendo didn't allow the custom stages to go Wi-Fi with the rest of the game, so it looks like you'll be enjoying the amazing stage you created the other day all by yourself. You can still send them to people, but wheres the fun if you can't fight?  

Wi-Fi has been pretty boring on many of the DS games that Nintendo released. Other than Pokemon Diamond/Pearl, there really hasn't been any communication between fighters. Nintendo has decided to allow you to make short taunts in this game, not quite as enjoyable as having a full conversation during play. To make matters worse, only your friends get to see your witty taunts. How are you suppose to tell your opponent he's a total noob if you can't say anything? Simple, you can't. You'll probably be too busy fighting for your life on Wifi, but it would still be nice to laugh in their faces when you sent them careening of the edge with a princess kick from Zelda.  

The final con I could find in this game was the target smash. Every character now has five stages they can play on, but those five stages happen to be the same for everyone. In Melee, each character had a special stage built to bring out the best in all of their abilities. Now its been made so that every character can beat them. Its not quite the same, since you don't have to spend all that time figuring out the best way to hit each target using the simplest method possible, its as easy as jumping up and kicking it.  

I've played through just about every mode, gone Wi-Fi a few times with friends and strangers, unlocked every character and stage, and beaten the Subspace Emissary. I am quite proud to say this game is lacking in cons, and overloaded with pros. For those who have been with this series since game one, you won't be disappointed. For those of you just now joining the legacy known as "Super Smash", where have you been, under a rock? You've been missing out big time! Make sure you pick this game up next time your out. Luckily, this game is easier to get than a Wii, so you won't be running all over town to find it. Now, lets BRAWL!

Game: Super Mario Bros. 2: The Lost Levels (Japanese import)
System: SNES/ Wii (Virtual Console)
Reviewer: DinoThrasher
Rating: 7/10

Pros:

1) Classic Mario
2) Mario and Luigi
3) Mario and Luigi Skill Variation
4) Decent Difficulty rating
5) Not too long but not too short

Cons:

1) SNES Graphics
2) "One Way" Screen
3) Difficult Controls

"Super Mario Bros." was one of the first Mario games ever created and was released on the SNES (Super Nintendo Entertainment System) years ago. What many people don't know, though, is that this classic had a sequel. Released as "Super Mario Bros. 2" in Japan, it is know known as "The Lost Levels" in the United States and other parts of the world. Never before released outside of Japan, it can now be bought off of the Wii shop channel as a Japanese import. For those who are lovers of the classics, you won't be disappointed.

"The Lost Levels" is the sequel to the original "Super Mario Bros." Because of this, the game play is very much the same. People will be glad to find that "The Lost Levels" is very much a classical Mario game as a side scrolling adventure to save the princess peach, locked away in some castle somewhere. Other than with the release of "New Super Mario Bros.", there has been very little of the original Mario side scrolling in recent years. Being able to play a new game that has that feel is a relief and allows some to remember the good days of gaming.

While Mario is the main character, the games are called Mario "Bros.". Many people will be glad to see that Mario's misfit brother, Luigi, makes an appearance in this game as an alternate player. Luigi is wearing his usual green color, but has white overalls instead of the blue that Mario wears. Personally, I think the white overalls are ugly, but it also gives Luigi his own distinct look that really distinguishes him from his more prominent Bro, Mario. Go green!

Luigi doesn't just make an appearance, though. He comes equipped with his own powers and may actually be better suited for some situations than Mario! Luigi is capable of jumping higher and staying in the air longer than his over-sized brother Mario, allowing for easier travel across dangerous chasms and other jumping hazards. Now, if only landing wasn't required. Luigi, being much lighter than his brother, can slow down as quickly and can easily plummet off of the side of a pipe. You going to have to use speed while jumping across smaller platforms with Luigi, because you probably won't be able to stop to get a good jump in.

Part of the reason this sequel was never released outside of Japan, was that it was believed to be too difficult for everyone else. They may have been right. You won't find yourself rushing through this game, as you never can be sure if your looking at a safe zone, or a danger zone. What looks like an easily passable patch of water, is actually a bottomless pit that may take a good running start to leap across. People who found many of Nintendo's latest games to be too easy will be glad to finally find a challenge worthy of their skills. Lets hope the game isn't TOO worthy of your skills.

Part of the problem with some of the more recent games, is that they are a tad too long. Super Mario Galaxy, for example, has 120 stars to collect, than 120 more as Luigi, before you can finally say you've beaten the game. Few people have the time or the patience to find 200+ stars and will probably tire of the game before they get to the end. "The Lost Levels" isn't too long or too short when it comes to gaming. Four levels per world is just enough that you don't find yourself rushing through each world, but just enough that you can enjoy the variations of each level. "The Lost Levels" is pretty much the perfect length for a game of its type.

After seeing what Nintendo has been able to do with the Nintendo Wii graphics wise, many may not want to go back to the pixel infested graphics of the original SNES. The goombas looks like blobs and some of the floating platforms can't be distinguished as floating logs on water, or as a random platform place to allow continuation of the game. While the graphics can somewhat be distinguished, some things look pretty bad and some may think SNES graphics aren't worth the experience.

Some of the newer side-scrolling games allow for movement in both directions of the screen. You could head back to the start if you were afraid you had missed something. I hope you don't miss something in this game, because there is no going back. If you over shoot the platform you need to land on, you may find yourself trapped in a corner that you can't escape from or may make your adventure that much more challenging. This is incredibly dangerous when combined with the huge gaps that are going to need a running start to get across and the limited timer you have to reach the end of the level.

The final problem with this game is the controls. The controls of much more recent games are easy to use and very precise. When playing this game, you may feel like Mario is running across ice and you just can't seem to "stick the landing". This can really mess with your timing when you've gotten so use to the smoother control schemes found in much more recent games. I can't even imagine what ice world would be like.

Overall, this is a decent game. I would suggest anyone who is looking for a challenge that actually takes some skill, as opposed to some of the more recent, straightforward games, check this out, it won't disappoint. It is also a great reminder of the "good old days" of gaming. Since it was never released outside of Japan until now, you will enjoy a handful of new levels and abilities. If your looking for a cheap classic but with a new twist, I would recommend checking out "The Lost Levels" when you get the chance. Unless you frustrate easily, you won't be disappointed.